Chapter 9: Taiji

  Yang Tong involuntarily recalled Tai Chi, twelve years had passed without recalling it, and he didn't know how much of it he still remembered.

  "Grasp, pull, squeeze, press, pluck, split, elbow, lean, advance, retreat, look back, gaze forward, stabilize. Empty the spirit and calm the top of the head, contain the chest and pluck up the back, sink the shoulders and drop the elbows, relax the waist and collapse the hips. Like relaxation but not relaxation, about to expand but not expanding, strength interrupted but intention unbroken, use intention without using force, Taiji turns round, do not let it be cut off." Yang Tong slowly began to recall in his consciousness.

  Initial stance, Ball Embracing Stance, Single Pushing Stance, Exploring Stance, Supporting Stance, Rushing Stance, Carrying Stance, Dividing Stance, Cloud Stance, Transforming Stance, Double Pushing Stance, Lowering Stance, Gathering Stance. After a while, after a set of fist methods is finished in consciousness, there is an epiphany. If transformed into forms, it can be divided into: Embracing Sparrow Tail, Single Whip, Hand Upward Stance, White Crane Spreads Wings, Kneading Knee Hook Step, Hand Waves Pipa, Advancing Step Moving Hammer, Like Sealing Like Closing, Cross Hands, Hugging Tiger Returning Mountain...

  This set of Tai Chi is precisely the perfect solution for oneself to address the issue of overly rapid neural responses and overly slow physical reactions, slowly coordinating the gap between body and nerves.

  Tai Chi is easy to learn but difficult to master. Its moves are actually very simple, and anyone can learn them after watching a few times. However, Tai Chi focuses not on the moves themselves, but on their underlying principles. This is the most essential part of Tai Chi, and without some understanding of Taoist culture and the I Ching, it's impossible to fully unleash its true power.

  The group of six people paired up and compared their skills, quickly finishing one round. The second round began.

  "Yang Tong, Ge Lu, get ready." The teacher in charge of recording scores announced.

  Feng Xiaobo walked over and whispered to Yang Tong, "Yang Tong, be careful of this guy. I'm not his match. He's actually practicing the most perverted hard qigong. Except for his strength being powerful, everything else is almost the same as mine. His defense is too strong, and his explosive power is also very perverted. However, he's too slow, as long as you don't get hit by him, it'll be fine."

  Yang Tong looked at the not-so-distant place and nodded involuntarily. The 13-year-old boy was nearly as tall as an adult, with muscles exposed to the outside that were full of violent beauty. It was clear that this big brother must be very strong. Ge Lu wasn't a classmate from Class Five, Yang Tong's group was quite mixed, but looking at the 48 people in the large group, students from Class Five accounted for more than 60%.

  "Yang Tong, Ge Lu up, Feng Xiaobo, Ai Dong ready." After about fifteen minutes, the teacher who recorded the scores finally called out.

  Yang Tong jumped onto the stage, and the big guy Ge Lu also got on the stage, rubbing his neck and smiling foolishly: "Please give me more guidance."

  "The old rules apply, let's begin." The judge declared solemnly.

  Ge Ru displayed a set of fist moves, and it was clear that he had learned a regular boxing technique. Even in elementary school, students are not taught routine boxing or palm techniques, but rather focus on building a strong foundation. A strong foundation is essential, otherwise everything else is just an empty shell. For example, Yang Tong's father only recently passed down the "Wind Wolf Fist" to him. Once the foundation is solidified, it's time to move on to the intermediate school, where students can start learning more advanced techniques like boxing. However, this doesn't mean that students can't learn martial arts before then. It's just that building a strong foundation is already quite challenging for kids, and adding martial arts training would make it even more difficult, which isn't beneficial for their growth.

  However, for someone like Gulu who is naturally gifted with a good physique, it's possible to lay a solid foundation while learning advanced techniques at the same time.

  The claws of the grizzly bear swiped out, and then it charged over.

  "Ox King Fist!"

  Like a fierce bull, he rushed towards Yang Tong with an astonishing momentum.

  Yang Tong grasped the crux of this boxing technique in the instant Ge Ru made his move. The trajectory of the punch was actually quite simple, but the coordination of the fist's power and aura gave people a feeling of heart-palpitations and fear.

  Yang Tong's opening move was met with Gulu's nearly unreasonable fist as soon as it was made.

  As soon as they exchanged blows, Yang Tong felt a surge of powerful energy that exceeded his standard strength. It seemed that the Ox King Fist was also a type of fist technique like the Wind Wolf Fist, both emphasizing the release of force and amplifying power.

  Yang Tong made several consecutive false moves, a ball-holding stance, which shed the opponent's strength. Then he connected with a lifting hand up stance, as if sealing and closing, before taking a step forward, advancing to block and punch!

  This punch used a concentrated force, and when it was released, the power of the "Wind Wolf Fist" was amplified, while also borrowing Gru's own strength, sending him flying backward.

  Yang Tong's hand gesture retracted and formed a White Crane Spreads Its Wings.

  This suddenly stunned both the judge and the students below for a while.

  "Listen up, kid. The key to Taiji Quan's actual combat is listening to the opponent's energy and guiding their hands. Lure them into emptiness, borrow their strength to strike, and unify your whole body. Move as one unit, be still as one unit. Energy should be continuous, intention unbroken, only then can you explode with a single touch. The connection starts from above, transformation occurs in the chest, storage is in the legs, control is at the waist, store and then release. Your entire body must possess five bows to achieve storing energy like drawing a bow and releasing energy like shooting an arrow. Energy should be stored in curves and have surplus, whole-body energy relies on unity. When releasing energy, focus on one direction, identify a target point, and make every move count. Energy starts from the heel of the foot, goes through the leg to the waist, and is shaped by the fingertips. It must be an unbroken flow, without any slight interruption."

  The old man's voice suddenly echoed in Yang Tong's mind, and the happiest days of his previous life also appeared at the same time.

  ………

  "With my enhanced neural reaction, as long as the speed of the incoming punch doesn't exceed three times mine, I can anticipate and grasp it beforehand. It's just a matter of leading the opponent's hand now." Yang Tong thought to himself, his suddenly heightened neural reaction still unaccustomed but incredibly suitable for Tai Chi boxing. Tai Chi emphasizes counterattacking, borrowing force to strike with force, four ounces moving a thousand pounds. The key lies in the timing and borrowing of force. The crucial point is accurately judging the opponent's punching trajectory, force, and center of gravity, which is the most difficult yet critical aspect. Borrowing force involves utilizing Tai Chi's core theory and flexible application of techniques to achieve this goal."

  Ge Lu immediately stood up, he didn't directly admit defeat like Tong Zhengbin, but instead was extremely resentful. This was just after exchanging blows for a short while and being sent flying, without even knowing how he was sent flying.

  "Come again!" Gru roared, his body bursting with energy.

  "King of Bears' Palm!" The momentum was twice as explosive as before, the sound was extremely frightening, and the fist wind when punching out could make a "hissing" sound.

  Yang Tong accurately judged the power and speed of this punch at the moment it was launched, and could easily dodge it. If he forcibly blocked it, he would inevitably be injured.

  If not for Tai Chi, Yang Tong would have probably lost even if he used the "Wind Wolf Fist" and fought hard against Gru, with a higher possibility of both being severely injured or losing. After all, Yang Tong had only learned his fist technique for a few days.

  After repeating several times, Yang Tong consecutively knocked Gulu down to the ground with a few punches until he was defeated.

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  The second update seeks recommendations and support.